There are hundreds of tasting rooms throughout California where you can enjoy wines at rustic bars or fancy tables. However, many wineries have upped the ante by providing attractive amenities to pair with your tasting.
So, let’s grab our overnight kits for a trip to Napa to check some of the outstanding experiences to be had.
Domaine Chandon—This was the first of the French Champagne “invasions,” and it just bubbles over with wonderful variations on the tasting theme. You can sip fine still and sparkling wines in a tasting salon or on a view-filled terrace. There are special events, limited edition wines, and an insightful guided tour. But the culinary kicker is the uber-romantic and superb restaurant, Etoile, open for lunch and dinner. Domaine Chandon knocks itself out trying to please the senses—and it succeeds.
Jarvis Winery—This spot is a hidden gem, literally. This experience is completely underground in a stunning architectural setting graced by an underground stream and waterfall. Visits are by appointment only, and each tasting is limited to just ten people. The wines are gems, as well.
Shramsberg—Here you not only get history, but some of the state’s finest sparkling wines. The winery was established in 1862 by Jacob Shram and revived by the duo of Jack and Jamie Davies in 1965. The aging caves are now two miles long, and the original Victorian house is an architectural and national historic treasure. Tours, by appointment, are Tuesday and Wednesday and include food pairings.
Far Niente—In 1979, Gil and Beth Nickel lovingly (and expensively) restored this abandoned winery, which was originally founded in 1885, and brought it into the limelight by producing only two wines—a cabernet sauvignon and a chardonnay; they also created Dolce, a late harvest wine, and one of my top ten great wine picks—ever—from California. The winery building and grounds are uniquely beautiful. On top of that, Gil loved to race vintage cars, so a tour includes viewing his car collection in the Carriage House. If you like great wine and Rolls Royces, Ferraris, Jaguars, and Corvettes, in a superb setting, you won’t mind the by-appointment-only price tag of $50.
V. Sattui—Some wineries give you the feeling you are entering the holy-of-holies. V. Sattui is at the opposite end of that tasting room spectrum. Offered up are really good wines, but this place jumps, especially on weekends. Lots of picnic tables under ancient oak trees, attractive, brick-lined tasting rooms, a major gift shop, and a large gourmet delicatessen where you can buy a lifetime of different cheeses—two hundred choices in all—and other tasty picnic goodies. Tastings cost only $5 for six wines! To add to the gourmet mix, Sattui is right across the street from Dean & DeLuca.
Falcor Winery—Here is a worthwhile visit—doubled! Falcor pours several fine wines, including its marvelous Bordeaux blend Bijou, and the tastings are complimentary. As you sip, you can see the winemaking happening right through a large picture window in the sleek tasting room. A three-minute walk gets you to Meritage Resort and Spa, a sumptuous place to stay and relax. The resort has a fine restaurant, Siena, and a top wine program. Owners Tim and Steph Busch also own a winery called Trinitas. These wines are available in the Trinitas tasting room, located behind the resort in the estate wine cave.
Clos Pegase—When Jan Shrem and his wife, Mitsuko, decided to build a winery, they did it with breathtaking bravura. Working with San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art, they held a worldwide architectural competition to decide who was to design the space; the honor was won by the famed Michael Graves. The bold post-modernist winery was completed in 1987, and it still amazes me. There is a wonderful sculpture garden, which includes a great Henry Moore. Have I mentioned the wines? Yes, the wines are excellent, but the visual experience is something to savor.
The Hess Collection—Donald Hess’s approach to collecting modern art is, at once, passionate, intelligent, personal, focused, and impressive. A visit to his museum (there is no other way to put it) is a must for modern-art lovers. The large portrait, Johanna II, by Franz Gertsch, is riveting. A flaming (!) typewriter by Leopold Maler symbolizes how words can inflame. You will also find works by Frank Stella, Francis Bacon, Robert Rauschenberg, and other art stars.
Rubicon Estates—Francis Ford Coppola deserves an Oscar for “best restoration of an historic and revered winery.” The ghosts of Captain Niebaum and Jack Daniels would be proud of the superb antique building, lovely grounds, and museum filled with old Inglenook winemaking artifacts and antique movie-making equipment, such as Zoetropes and magic lanterns. It is a great example of what lots of money, great taste, and a keen sense of history add up to. Oh, yes, and the wines are fine.
Local Tasting Notes
If you’re in the mood to educate your palate in between trips to Napa, there are certainly opportunities closer to home. The Press Club on Yerba Buena Lane features the home-away-from-home tasting rooms of eight Northern California Wineries, including Minor Family Vineyards, Chateau Montelena, and Mount Edna. The cozy, contemporary, large but intimate setting makes it a fun spot to taste with friends. Flights and bites are also available.
Seeking out a little more intense one-on-one experience? Fifth Floor Restaurant is offering its Sommelier for a Day program; you, and only you, spend a day shadowing and learning from Emily Wines, one of the world’s top female sommeliers, previewing and tasting wine, and sampling menu dishes.
Have a special tasting spot in California you’d like to share? Please, let me know about it: ejsprwine@aol.com.
Ed Schwartz has been involved in many aspects of fine wine for 30 years and has worked with top wineries in California, Italy and France. His writings on wine, food and travel have appeared in the SF Chronicle, LA Times and Image magazine.
